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More suspected abuse at Wexford Residence nursing home

A Scarborough nursing home where one resident was killed and another assaulted earlier this year has since reported other incidents of suspected physical and sexual abuse, according to Ministry of Health documents.

A total of seven resident-on-resident abuse incidents — four involving physical abuse and three of suspected sexual abuse — were reported by The Wexford Residence between April and July, following the March 13 beating death of a 72-year-old woman. A 72-year-old male resident has been charged.

A new Ontario inspection report shows other incidents of suspected resident-on-resident abuse at the Wexford long-term care home. A spokesperson for the home said it is now in compliance with all provincial orders. (RICHARD LAUTENS / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

At the Wexford Residence in March 2013, 72-year-old Joycelyn Dickson was beaten to death. The nursing home has since filed other incident reports of suspected abuse. (ALEX CONSIGLIO / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

The long-term care facility has been under intense scrutiny in recent months, with ministry inspectors going in to ensure it is complying with resident health and safety legislation.

An Oct. 8 inspection report cited these latest incidents or complaints, noting in several cases there was no documented evidence police, family members or physicians were properly notified.

The report also states the home failed to identify residents prone to aggression, assess them and develop strategies to curtail their behaviour. It did not develop care plans to protect vulnerable residents, nor did it give clear instructions to staff on how to handle abusive residents and protect vulnerable ones.

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Because the Wexford did not follow through on safety measures imposed in May following the homicide, “the severity of the harm and risk of harm to residents arising from the non-compliance was very high,” the ministry inspector states.

“The (home) failed to protect residents from abuse.”

It is unclear exactly when the alleged abuse took place, and details are scarce, but a spokesperson in Health Minister Deb Matthew’s office confirmed they involved a total of six residents.

The ministry inspector found no evidence to substantiate a separate allegation in the report that staff physically and sexually abused a resident in August.

Jane Meadus, a lawyer with the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, said the revelations are “extremely alarming,” especially since the home was aware it was under scrutiny by the health ministry after the homicide.

“They were ordered to ensure residents were protected from abuse and this clearly didn’t happen,” she charged.

Wexford spokesperson Shantha Joseph maintained the home is now in compliance with all orders from the province.

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“It was a regrettable error on our part that the police were not notified . . . ,” she said, adding staff has been given extra training.

“We appreciate that this is a serious matter and we have discussed this incident with the staff and families involved . . . The Wexford is a secure place and we continue to make resident safety a top priority,” she said.

In a written statement, Health Minister Deb Matthews said her ministry has conducted numerous inspections of the home since March and is planning another “to address outstanding compliance orders.”

“The ministry continues to monitor the situation and if the home has not achieved significant progress in addressing the outstanding non-compliance orders we will contemplate further action,” she said.

Safety and care of residents in nursing homes has become a major issue in recent months.

Earlier this month, an 87-year-old resident of another Toronto long-term care home — Castleview Wychwood Towers — was beaten to death. His 81-year-old roommate has been charged with second-degree murder.

Last week, provincial New Democrats took the government to task in Question Period, charging it is failing to follow up on problems and inspections in long-term care homes.

Also, the provincial coroner’s office announced it is cutting back on death investigations in the homes, although the coroner says it will not affect resident safety because probes will still be carried out where warranted.

Residents of long-term care homes are extremely vulnerable, Meadus said, noting that up to 70 per cent have some form of dementia, symptoms of which can include aggression and over-sexualization.

Most residents are frail elderly, some with psychiatric disorders, and some are younger but require 24-hour nursing care.

The homes themselves acknowledge they are understaffed and are dealing with more challenging patients.

Following the Wexford attack in March, Peter Roy Brooks, 72, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 72-year-old Joycelyn Dickson, as well as aggravated assault in the brutal beating of another resident. Brooks had tormented residents and staff with physical attacks and verbal assaults for months and had been moved five times, largely due to conflicts, according to an earlier ministry inspection report.

The ministry released a report in May, assailing the home for failing to ensure the safety of residents and ordered it to take immediate steps to do so.

At the time, Wexford executive director Sandy Bassett promised: “We are going to learn from this . . . tragic event and we are going to be better.”

Toronto police spokesperson Const. Wendy Drummond said there have been no other charges laid against anyone at the home since those laid against Brooks.

Details in the Oct. 8 inspection report are scant, but complaints include the following:

“The (home) failed to protects residents, in particular Resident #2, #3 and #6, from physical abuse by other residents.”

Clinical documentation for Resident #5 indicated there were three separate incidents of suspected resident-to-resident sexual abuse toward Resident #8 and the (ministry) was not notified for eight days. (A ministry spokesperson said one of the incidents could not be confirmed by the inspector and did not meet the definition of sexual abuse.)

“Resident #1 had been physically abusive to at least four residents,” including one whose identity was unknown.

“No action was taken” following one incident of alleged sexual abuse.

Matthews has said her government has zero tolerance for abuse and neglect in long-term care homes and it is beefing up inspections.

Joseph said Wexford residents should rest assured their home is safe:

“Our number one priority continues to be the safety of all residents.”

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